Chapter 1061 - A Battle Without Precedent in History (V)
Edited by: Michyrr
Qutaybah’s eyes narrowed as his golden-armored Arabian warhorse, which was more than two meters tall and named ‘Victor’, immediately took two steps forward.
Buzz!
At the sight of this godlike figure, the three other Arab commanders fell silent, their hearts trembling.
“Too slow! This is far too much time to deal with a trifling Great Tang!”
His magnetic voice rang out over everyone’s heads, and before anyone could react, there was a flash of light as that godlike figure of dazzling gold dismounted. In that moment, the other three Arab commanders stared at that figure with a hint of trepidation in their eyes.
“Qutaybah, you...”
Governor Osman’s mouth was open to speak when, boom! The wind gusted as the Governor of War suddenly strode forward, his posture erect as he finally began to move.
His expression was carefree and he seemed to be going out for a simple stroll, but in truth, he was moving even faster than a galloping horse. When he had dismounted, he had been just a few steps from the others, but by the time Osman had opened his mouth to stop him, Qutaybah was already three-hundred-some feet away.
Before Osman had time to finish, Qutaybah had already vanished into the vast army. All that was visible was a golden light drawing a straight line to the Tang defense line.
“This!”
Osman’s face was frozen, his hand still reached out into the air toward Qutaybah’s back.
“There’s no need to call out to him. This madman has always had a completely different style from us!” Aybak called out, a bright light in his eyes.
Commanders were never supposed to lightly step onto the battlefield. If a commander participated in every battle, what exactly were soldiers for?
The primary purposes of a commander were executing strategies, giving orders, observing the enemy’s weaknesses, and seeking ideal opportunities, not acting as the vanguard. Moreover, when a commander personally entered the fray, it often meant that the critical moment where the outcome of the battle was decided was imminent. The commanders of both the east and the west believed in this battlefield principle.
But Qutaybah’s style was completely different!
It had long ago been said that Qutaybah enjoyed battle, enjoying being right in the thick of things. While commanding the army, he would use his overwhelming strength to punch holes in the enemy line and execute the enemy commander so as to swiftly bring the battle to a close. But hearing and seeing were two different things.
The Great Tang had just sent out its two elite armies while its commanders had not even entered the battle. Meanwhile, Arabia had still not deployed the Mamelukes, and Osman, Abu Muslim, and Aybak had also not entered the fray. The battle was far from reaching its most intense point, but the Governor of War had already reached the limits of his patience.
The other three renowned Arab commanders were left dumbfounded and uncomfortable at this sight.
“This, Lord Qutaybah is already moving out? Milords, we should go as well! These Tang of the east are much stronger than we imagined, and they also have four elite Great Generals. If Lord Qutaybah goes alone, he might be defeated!’
Ziyad finally broke the silence, unable to restrain himself as he watched Qutaybah’s figure vanish into the army.
But as the banners continued to snap in the wind, Governor Osman of Cairo, Mameluke Commander Aybak, and the highest commander of the eastern war zone, Abu Muslim, quietly stood there as if they were rooted to the ground.
Ziyad was speechless.
“Ziyad, it’s not necessary. Qutaybah is different from any other governors you know of!”
In the end, Abu Muslim spoke, his expression calm as he continued to observe the battle.
“When he joins a battle, he doesn’t like anyone else to interfere! If we join him at a time like this, he will not only fail to appreciate our kindness, but he will be offended and turn his rage on us! At a time like this, I have no desire to start a conflict with him!”
“Ha! In addition, don’t make the Governor of War into such a weakling!”
Aybak also gave a rare comment. Just like Abu Muslim, he also continued to observe the battlefield as he explained.
“The enemy has four Great Generals, but if their opponent is Qutaybah... it’s not certain who will be victorious. In this world, there really aren’t many people who can actually defeat Qutaybah!”
Beneath his black Nile war banner, Governor Osman gave a slight nod of approval, clearly sharing the same opinion as Aybak.
As the War God of the Arabian Empire and one of the strongest generals, Qutaybah possessed a strength that even those who loathed him had to acknowledge. Even though his methods and way of speaking made all the other governors unhappy, even though he was a madman who always did his own thing, this was all backed by a strength that no one could dispute.
Even when Qutaybah interrupted Aybak and jeered at Abu Muslim, these powerful Arab commanders felt no hatred, nor did they try to argue. Strength reigned supreme and power decided all in the hierarchy of the Arabian Empire. Qutaybah was the Governor of War and had the right to be brash and arrogant.
“!!!”
Ziyad saw the commanders’ serene expressions and then turned back to the figure of Qutaybah, but he had nothing more to say.
“Although Qutaybah said it wasn’t necessary, he still came to help us... Ziyad, send in my Ironblood Army!” Abu Muslim said.
“If you’re doing that, then Raman, send in our Beheader Army as well. I think that Qutaybah won’t mind if we help him through this method,” Governor Osman said.
He and Abu Muslim were friends of many years and had rendered many achievements together on the battlefield. As long as they were standing together, they would always advance as one.
“Yes, Milord!”
An elated Ziyad bowed and swiftly left.
......
While this was happening in the rear, on the battlefield, the entrance of the Governor of War was certain to impose an irreversible change on this battle!
Bang!
With a single stomp, the earth quaked and countless bits of dirt and stone flew into the air. No one could possibly describe the majesty and pressure Qutaybah exuded. The entire battlefield seemed to groan and tremble as he advanced.
Qutaybah’s thick golden armor blazed with a light more dazzling than the sun, and he seemed like a god striding through a battle of mere mortals.
Hwoooo! As the wind blew around him, Qutaybah locked his eyes onto the Great Tang defense line. Bzzzzz! Before the soldiers had realized what was going on, Qutaybah had vanished from their side and appeared hundreds of feet away.
Bang! Qutaybah made another stomp, vanishing in a flash of light and appearing even farther away. His speed was deceptively fast. With each stride, he traveled a significant distance, and it took only a few moments for him to outrun tens of thousands of cavalry.
When he was only around two-hundred-some feet from the steel defense line, Qutaybah stopped.
Clang!
With a clang that seemed like the roar of a dragon, Qutaybah reached behind him and pulled out his infamous sword that had killed countless powerful men, whose name made countless empires pale in fear: God’s Might.
The golden light around Qutaybah exploded into an intense golden flame that soared straight into the clouds. Even space twisted at the sheer power of this flame.
“Lord Marquis!” Xue Qianjun shouted, his eyes widening as he stared at this golden figure. For some reason, this figure made Xue Qianjun’s heart thump in extreme fear and unease. In that moment, Wang Chong had also noticed that nearby figure.
Roooar!
A heaven-shaking roar resounded through the skies as the energy of countless halos gathered on a single man. As everyone watched, Wang Yan’s body began to rise from the ground, rapidly swelling until it had become an enormous golden-armored god.
The Mighty Miracle God!
Wang Yan had clearly noticed this danger and immediately activated his powerful formation. In the blink of an eye, his strength had soared into the Great General level.
At this moment, two hundred feet away, surrounded by tens of thousands of Arab cavalry, Qutaybah also moved. His eyes flashed with cold light as he thrust his enormous golden sword ‘God’s Might’ into the ground. Boom! While he had been two hundred feet away just moments ago, he now suddenly appeared right in front of the steel defense line, his ‘God’s Might’ piercing into the earth.
There was an enormous boom as golden flames seeped into the ground. A line more than a thousand meters long extended from Qutaybah’s body, causing all the steel walls and Tang soldiers along it to be flung several dozen li into the air by a terrifying power.
Dust churned as the massive explosion unleashed by this attack dampened all the other sounds on this fierce battlefield. Even though Abu Muslim, Osman, and Aybak had mentally prepared themselves for this sight, they were still rather startled.
A single strike of the Governor of War’s sword had opened a massive gap more than two thousand meters long in the staunch Tang defense line. This had already far surpassed the power of the several hundred silver siege weapons. This was a large and open path for the army’s advance that was nearly impossible to block.
This strike had completely altered the structure of this battle!
Not only that, even though Qutaybah’s sword had inflicted so much damage, all of them could sense that the Governor of War had not even used his full strength.
“Nearly seven thousand feet, four hundred steel walls, each one weighing ten thousand jin... I can’t believe Qutaybah is this powerful!”
The scene of destruction before him had given Ziyad an unprecedented shock.